Heart of Midlothian

A tight, low-angle shot of the Heart of Midlothian, the heart-shaped mosaic of granite laid into the cobbles of Edinburgh’s Royal Mile beside St Giles’ Cathedral. The heart marks the site of the Old Tolbooth, the city’s former prison and place of execution, and tradition holds that locals spit on it for luck, so don’t be surprised to see it happen. This is a busy, central spot with a great deal of foot traffic.

Any season works for this street-level detail, but early morning or low evening light, can reflect in the smooth cobbles and give them texture. A wide lens used low and close will exaggerate the foreground stones. This is one of the busiest stretches of the Old Town, so getting a clean shot can be tricky, although a tight crop helps to make this less of an issue. However, if you look at the image immediately to the right you will see that adding someone walking over the Heart can help to give it scale and character.